As in a well-regulated Greek tragedy, tension rises at Tombstone. The duel of the OK Corral becomes more and more inevitable and the personality of Géronimo continues to impose itself. The reader is caught in a whirlwind: he has the impression of seeing two waves assaulting one another. Besides everything seems double in this album. The two intrigues: that of OK Corral and that of the Blueberry “mystery”. Jean Giraud, machiavellian in the scenario and virtuoso in the drawing. Blueberry who remains bedridden, injured, and who, however, continues to tell in a stunning flashback, a true story in history, an authentic Blueberry fight against his double. And there is above all this duel, inevitable, that everyone is waiting for, and which exerts a real tension which irritates the whole story. And finally, if we wanted to find a last duality, how not to evoke the character of Géronimo who gives his title to the album? Or rather, we would be tempted to write the two Géronimo, the one Blueberry has faced in the past and the Apache, very present, who prowls around Tombstone … Besides, it may be he, the real threat, the real hero of this cycle. What more can be said? It is obvious that we are in the presence of a strong, powerful work, which will surely mark a summit in the already long saga of the western.
- Dargaud, December 02, 2016
- ISBN/EAN: 978-2-20507-629-5
- 12″ x 16″, 56 pages
- 19,99 €
- Order Online: Amazon.fr, Amazon.ca
As with all AE format material (Artist’s Editions, Artifact Editions, Gallery Editions, Art Editions, Studio Editions, etc.), this is a collection of classic comic material and I’ll be reviewing the book and not the story. For a complete list of all current and announced editions, with review links, please visit our Index. Also, see What is an Artist’s Edition and our Artist Index. This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.
The third Jean Giraud Blueberry Édition Noir Et Blanc from Darguad, presenting the original art and French text in a large softcover format. No idea if the original art is close to this size, but it’s a wonderful presentation in an economical package.
The publication notes the following on its colophon page; as with all translations shown here, my limited French and Google Translate are poor substitutes.
This black and white edition of Geronimo the Apache uses the original boards of Jean Giraud. These were completely rescanned so that the maximum details – fineness of the features, grays, densities of the hues of black, precision of the backgrounds, and the few corrections of the author – could be seen. The 30 * 40 format, larger than the classic publication format, will help you find some of the incredible feeling that comes from viewing the origins of one of the greatest artists of bande dessinée.
Scan quality is excellent. No softness or artifacts in the presentation. Gradients in the blacks. Some pentimento where pencil is visible under or around the inks, as well as the occasional pencil without inks. No correction fluid or paste-ups. The art is cropped so no border notes.
The design follows what was set for the series, with that single brown for the front cover text and background for the spine and back cover. The entire interior is black and white. The enlarged panels for the first and last pages are a stunning addition, as are the enlarged panel dividers.
Production is quite good. Heavy matte paper stock. A glued softcover keeps the price down. With some heavy pressure on the center pages will lay mostly flat but it produces some troubling cracking noises.
Like those before it, this volume is out of print and difficult to find. Perhaps Dargaud will reprint the series, or offer a limited hardcover. Unfortunately, I’m not able to get a response from Dargaud after several attempts at contact.
